Bears 'Hard Knocks' gets a grade from Chicago viewers

No swearing?

Not even one tiny, precious little F-bomb?

HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears” isn’t going there — at all — with profanity, one example of how “Hard Knocks” has become a more buttoned-up version of what it used to be.

In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X, we asked you to give the show a grade. A second poll asked how Illinois’ and Northwestern’s football teams will fare relative to projected win totals. And a third — which sparked the most comments — asked voters to select their favorite Chicago baseball broadcasting duo.

“Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer and it’s not even close,” @Ccharles1983 wrote, a strong nod to the Cubs’ radio pair.

Self-described “diehard White Sox fan” @mikewalsh4609 had a fun idea, writing, “If you could pair Hughes with [Sox TV analyst] Steve Stone, you’d have one of the best tandems in baseball.” And @mike_lox called Sox radio analyst Darren Jackson “the most underrated broadcaster in this city.”

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: Three episodes in, what grade would you give HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears”?

Upshot: This is not “Last Dance”-level entertainment, but it’s still worth the watch just because the Bears are in focus like rarely before. Many of us are still learning what to make of rookie Caleb Williams and deciding how we feel about coach Matt Eberflus.

Poll No. 2: The over/unders on regular-season wins for Illinois’ and Northwestern’s football teams are 5½ and 4½, respectively. What’s your take? 

Upshot: The Illini and Wildcats haven’t gone bowling in the same season since 2011. And you thought those 2024 over/unders were depressing.

Poll No. 3: Which Chicago baseball broadcasting duo is your favorite?

Upshot: Radio wins the day. It’s easy to point to rookie Sox TV play-by-play man John Schriffen’s unpopularity, but the Cubs’ TV booth didn’t get much love here, either.